Oscar nominated actor Edward Norton and his Class 5 Films are making a feature documentary about the presidential campaign mounted by Senator Barack Obama.
Class 5 has engaged Endeavor partner Ari Emanuel and lawyer Andrew Hurwitz to make distribution deal for a film to be released in 2009.
Amy Rice and Alicia Sams are directing the picture.
They began shooting footage before Obamas declaration of candidacy to become the Democratic Party’s 2008 presidential nominee.
Emanuel, who guided the sales of Sacha Baron Cohens pseudo-docs “Borat” and “Bruno,” and the Michael Moore docs “Sicko” and “Fahrenheit 9/11,” has been an outspoken supporter of Obama.
The brother of Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) has organized meet-and-greets in Hollywood and hosted fund-raisers for Obama. Norton, a longtime Endeavor client, has been a supporter, donating to Obamas campaigns.
Norton said his motivation was not to glorify its subject. Its genesis came during a chat between Norton, Class 5 partners Bill Migliore and Stuart Blumberg and the directors after Obama raised his national profile with a speech during the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
The docu’s production got under way before Obama began his presidential run in spring 2006.
Norton and the directors approached Obama and he sparked to the film, first permitting Rice and Sams access on his 2006 trip to Africa.
They’ve had cameras rolling since.
Norton said the filmmakers will follow Obama through the duration of his White House run, so its difficult to set a timetable at this point.